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Feline ethology; Understanding the cat Julie Cory PG Dip(ABW) DipAVN (Med) RVN Cats present a unique challenge when presented to a hospital environment. They are much more of a prey species than dogs, leading to increased stress levels just by being in a strange environment. They feel more vulnerable, and this can be seen by the number of cats that hide in their litter trays or under their bedding. Cats are also more subtle with their body language than dogs prey animals are less likely to advertise the fact that they are ill or injured. Social Structure A basic understanding of the cat s social structure is important when handling or owning a cat. It enables an appreciation of what issues are relevant to a cat, and how the environment can be used to modify the animal s behaviour. Society rules are very different for this species than for other domestic animals in that dogs, sheep, cattle and so on live in large groups and have a hierarchical system in place to determine who makes the decisions. The domestication process in cats has evolved more gradually, with more of an association between people and cats than a domination. From a management point of view, this means that cats are more independent and self-sufficient than other domestic animals. Cats are commonly believed to be a solitary species, distaining company. This is a bit of a generalisation, and while some cats will spend large amounts of time on top of cupboards, others can be very affectionate to their owners and other cats in the household. Feral cats can live in large communities, often sharing duties such as raising the kittens or mutually grooming each other (allogrooming). Cooperation between cats requires certain factors to be in place, and these may be lacking in a home environment that is closely human controlled. Cats are often acquired as strays that stayed, or because they looked cute in the rescue home, rather than because of their personalities and whether the cat at home will like them. The fact that cats are solitary hunters of small prey dictate that they do not require the help of others and do not need to remain in groups for survival hence no dominance hierarchy and no underlying motivation to stay in a particular area or with particular individuals. Again, stories are common of cats moving next door if the conditions at home are not favourable. Cats work on a system of mutual acceptance and respect. While some cats like company and attention, many will often accept it but without actively seeking it. Resources such as space and food are the main criteria for maintaining harmony in large numbers, and is vitally important in the home environment were multiple cats are housed. Feral groups of cats occur in areas where food is plentiful, often supplemented by humans. Food is acquired on a first come, first served basis and not determined by rank, so there must be adequate supplies if everyone in the community is to eat. Cats also eat little and often, so gorging on food as it is presented is not an option well suited to the cat s digestive system. There is no sharing of resources that can be seen in domestic animals such as the dog, but there is little fighting over the resources either. Space and shelter work along the same principles with favourite areas being occupied rather than defended. If the cat is not in the resting area, another cat can sleep there without causing offence providing other areas of seclusion and safety are available.
The dynamics of feral cats are also interesting when compared to the home environment that cats are expected to live in. Most feral communities comprise of related female cats, with a resident tom or two depending on the number of females present. From a management point of view, groups of female cats within the household may be more preferable than groups of males. Similarly, cats raised together from a young age may be more tolerant of each other than when introducing older cats. Although dogs are known for being territorial, often they are more attached to their owners or other dogs than the physical place that they live in. Cats, in contrast, are often more attached to their area than their owners. Owned female cat home ranges generally cover their house and garden. This may be extended to neighbouring gardens if there is no resident female. This area will then be claimed with scent marking through resting areas, scratching and faecal deposits. The male home ranges can be three times the size of a female territory, overlapping several female home ranges, however this will depend on the number of females, whether it is during the breeding season and whether the male is neutered or not. With the increasing incidence of neutering, the home range of entire toms can be considerable in order to find an un-neutered female. Interestingly, there is a current interest in looking at the inheritability of personality characteristics from the father. It appears that confident, bold fathers produce confident, bold kittens regardless of their mother s personality. The majority of friendly, affectionate males are homed and neutered, whereas the unneutered males tend to be the more aggressive feral cats (McCune 1995). The socialisation period in kittens starts a little earlier than in dogs at around 2 weeks, but is equally important in establishing normal parameters for those things that the animal shares its life with. This sensitive period prepares the cat for social encounters with other cats and maintaining social bonds with its own species, but also for social attachment to non-feline species such as humans and dogs. In an essentially mutual-tolerance species, this socialisation to humans may be an important factor in the acceptance of human affection and our primate displays of social attachment hugging, stroking and so on. As with dogs, this is a period where developing a concept of what is normal in the environment and what is potentially dangerous helps to orientate the adult animal in a humancentred world. Socialising cats to a human world is made more challenging than with dogs, in that the kittens often remain with the breeder until after the socialisation period has finished. Kittens are often secluded in their new homes and are rarely introduced to unusual situations, such as car journeys and restraint by strangers. The end of the socialisation period is less clear, with the beginnings around 8 weeks but may continue for longer. The end is marked by a more cautious approach to life and new experiences, with a degree of restraint shown before running up to a new dog or person. This new suspicion of novelty can extend to food items, with different textures or tastes being refused in preference to more familiar items. Using social structure within the home or practice By understanding the normal social structure of cats we can look the environments we place them in, and suggest ways of reducing stress and improving the quality of the time they are in our care. There are many difficulties with kennelling cats within the practice environment, due to the constraints of
size and facilities available. However, there are often little changes that can be done that can provide a more acceptable area for the cat. Cats live in a 3-D world, so at home we can utilise the space within quite a small area by providing shelves, cupboards, climbing frames, and so on. This not only allows the cat to escape unwanted attention, but allows several sleeping areas if there are multiple cats within the household. Cats, being a prey animal, feel more secure in a raised area where they are out of harm s way and can see trouble approaching. By providing several raised areas the cat can choose where it wants to sleep, and reduce conflict over occupied places. Similarly, other resources such as litter trays and feed bowls need to be numerous, to avoid the need to share and increase the potential for conflict. The sharing of resources, especially sleeping areas, can improve the relationship between cats in the household, or between cats and their owners, with the sharing of communal scent. Familiar scents on resting places such as cat beds, sofas or human beds help develop a sense of identity that more gregarious social species achieve through body language, allogrooming and social play. The feline system of shared scent is more subtle, but no less meaningful to provide a sense of group identity, familiarity and therefore security. In a hospital setting, we can use these principles to try to reduce the stress seen in our patients. For long stay patients, a raised shelf within the kennel may be advantageous, especially for separating sleeping areas, food bowls and litter trays. In more standard kennels, the use of cardboard boxes that can be disposed off when the patient goes home, or igloo type beds that can be washed and disinfected, can provide the cat with a safe and defendable sleeping place. The provision of a toy or blanket carrying the owner s scent, or of cats from home, can supply some familiarity and security. The use of feline facial pheromones may also provide calming signals in an inherently stressful environment (Kakuma and Bradshaw, 2001). Communication As previously stated, cats are not a gregarious social species, and are considered a prey animal, so understanding feline communication can be quite challenging. Their body language and vocalisations are more subtle than dogs, and they are less forthcoming with their intentions. The communication repertoire in cats is less than with dogs, particularly with the come closer signals. As we know dogs have several different facial expressions, body postures and gestures that encourage others to interact, fuss or play with them. Cats have far fewer appealing gestures, although that is not to say they are absent. The most familiar types of communication in cats is the stay away set of signals, involving raised hackles, arched back, flattened ears and accompanying hissing or growling. This set of gestures is generally very obvious and effective. To understand feline behaviour, we need to appreciate the different ways in which cats communicate with each other and with humans. The signs are often there, but are less conspicuous and easily suppressed. The sense of smell is well developed in the cat, and scent is an important communicator for this species. The shared scent of the cat s community has already been mentioned, so the smell of familiar cats can communicate friendship and acceptance. Urine and faeces are also deposited at particular sites to communicate territory or ownership. Spraying within the house can be a sign of territorial marking in adolescent, entire male cats, but can also indicate insecurity and a need to identify a core area of home. Scent marking of a territory or
ownership can also be achieved by rubbing the side of the face, rubbing under the chin or by scratching and releasing scent from gland in the face and the feet. As with spraying, objects regularly scratched or rubbed against will often be in busy pathways within the house or garden so the scent will be encountered by as many other cats as possible. Strange cats will investigate these markers, and the chemical messages within may illicit the Flehmen response where the cat s top lip is raised to reveal its upper incisors, and air is taken into the vomeronasal gland or Jacobsen s organ for analysis. This is particularly common during the breeding season when males identify the reproductive status of the females. Vocalisations can be very informative in cats, with many breeds as well as individuals being chatty. Siamese and Oriental breeds are notorious for being vocal, and many moggies regularly chirp conversationally with their owners. Talkative chirrups, mews and meows are often used for greeting and social bonding interactions with owners, although rarely used between cats. Purring is commonly believed to be a sign of contentment, but a care soliciting/giving message may be more appropriate. Cats are often heard purring in stressful situations or when in pain, and this may be an I m a kitten please look after me vocalisation reminiscent of purring, suckling kittens. Purring is more commonly heard when the cat is relaxed, with or without company, but more commonly with humans or other cats. More dramatic vocalisations occur when the cat is stressed or angry and wishes the other party to go away. As previously mentioned, the stay away signals are more obvious and serve to reduce the likelihood of a physical encounter. Growling, hissing and spitting are used in combination with body language to communicate the animal s displeasure and will raise in volume in response the cat s increasing agitation. As with aggressive behavioural patterns in dogs, aggressive displays by cats are designed to prevent conflict and the risk of injury. Only when these signals are ignored will the cat engage in biting and scratching. Body language, as with vocalisations, can relay a lot of information about the cat s intentions and state of mind. With vision being a human s primary sense, we find this method of communication the easiest to interpret and are fairly good at identifying the messages being portrayed. Some postures have developed to communicate with humans only, such as the tail up signal seen when greeting owners or familiar people (Bradshaw, 2002). The cat s tail is held vertical with a slight kink at the tip, often gently quivering similar to a spraying posture but much more relaxed and no urine. Used in combination with vocalisations such as chirruping or meowing, and scent marking such as rubbing, this is a blatant message of ownership, familiarity and social bonding. Other messages can be more subtle, such as with ear position or eye contact. Tail wagging in cats is often seen as a sign of displeasure, but a gentle, relaxed wag can indicate contentment. It may be helpful to compare tail wagging in cats to foot tapping in people. A gentle tap can indicate contentment, whereas stomping and slamming your foot down often conveys annoyance. A relaxed tail gently swaying can escalate to a rigid, purposeful swish of the tail as the cat becomes more agitated. Eye contact is another area of body language when the difference between relaxation and aggression can be subtle. Relaxed facial muscles and a fleeting glance is acceptable to cats, whereas tense facial muscles and a prolonged stare can be very intimidating and threatening. The combination of ear position and height of body can be used to communicate the perceived level of threat. The lower the body to the ground and the flatter the ears, the more intimidated the cat feels. Ears that are folded back as well as flat suggest a frightened cat, while ears that are flat and pointed away from the head suggest an annoyed cat without as much fear. Again, differences between dogs
and cats are highlighted by the crouched body stance. In a dog, a lowered body posture indicates fear and submission. In a cat, it simply allows the cat to roll over and release all its weapons teeth and claws. Raised body postures in cats, such as an arched back, are often in response to surprise or insecurity and maintain the option of running away. Mixed messages The social structure and communication signals are very different between humans and cats, and sometimes this can cause problems. Humans instinctively respond as humans, whereas cats will interpret this as cat. Recent interest has been shown in obesity in cats and, in addition to other factors such as palatability of food and method of feeding, this mixing of messages may contribute to the problem. Eating is a social occasion for humans, with the sharing of food symbolising friendship and social acceptance. For cats, eating is a purely functional activity, however, they can learn that eating enables social interactions with their humans. When a cat approaches its owner it is generally engaging in a social bonding behaviour involving rubbing, scent marking and vocalisation. The owner often interprets this as asking for food and will offer a food treat. The cat is designed to eat little and often and will often accept this offering, reinforcing the owners perception that the cat is begging for food. Mixed messages such as these can lead to confusion and conflict in the human/feline relationship. References Bradshaw, JWS, 2002,The Behaviour of the Domestic Cat, CABI Publishing, Wallingford Kakuma, Y and Bradshaw, JWS, 2001, Effects of a feline facial pheromone analogue on stress in shelter cats, In proceedings of the Third International Congress on Veterinary Behavioural Medicine pp218-220 McCune, S, 1995, The impact of paternity and early socialisation on the development of cats behaviour to people and novel objects, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 45, 109-124 Recommended Reading Bradshaw, JWS, 2002, The Behaviour of the Domestic Cat, CABI Publishing, Wallingford Cannon, M and Forster-van Hijfte, M (2006), Feline Medicine A practical guide for veterinary nurses and technicians, Butterworth Heinemann, Edinburgh Fogle, B, 1991, The Cat s Mind, Pelham Books, London Turner, DC and Bateson, p (Eds), 2000, The Domestic Cat the biology of its behaviour (2 nd Ed), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge